Agreed, pepper is completely optional…There was a thing done about why we view pepper as essential as salt when it is not. Its a spice, not a seasoning.
Anchovy paste (western cuisine) or alternatively fish sauce (eastern cuisine) is not about season or spice, it is about flavor. It is always a great way to punch up umami. I use it regularly in most sauces that need depth or have high natural acidity.
any vinegar will give you great punch and brightness in a dish or sauce, balsamic is interesting and incredibly versatile as it can give brightness or sweetness depending on the type of BV you employ.
I used to be all about tons of garlic, but have ramped it down in recent years. Shallots are always a staple, as they have the best onion flavor without overpowering and do not change their flavor profile when cooked. Yellow or Vidalia onions turn to pure sugar when cooked, shallots do not. And also agreed on the tomato part…I use tomato paste often in small amounts and brown/toast it like you do any other spices. It brings amazing acidity and sweetness.
The other essential items for my spice cabinet are: Bay Leaves (I but fresh and dry them myself), vanilla beans, lavender, chili powder and assorted dried chilis, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and saffron. I also have an assortment of pastes and sauces for various Asian and Spanish dishes.
the thing is its about the source of the olives. The good italian OVOO is kept in Italy and never leaves. The junk is what they send to us. All you have to do is look at the labeling and find what the sources are for the olives. If it is a mixed region it is blended oil and its junk.
Cali Olive Ranch uses only olives from their farms in Cali. Single source. It’s my personal fave, and I know that America’s Test Kitchen agrees with me as it’s their number one too. Colavita is another very good one I like, a bit spicier than the Cali one…and I also like Terra Delyssa.
Can second this. After doing some reading about olive oil I checked labels and California Olive Ranch was the first one I came across that I could confirm was not adulterated. Still one of the few I can find most places, and certainly my favorite.
After cooking with it for a while I realized I have probably never had pure Virgin olive oil in my life prior to it.
Agreed, for imported olive oil I’ve had better luck on average with Spanish then Italian. Also ageed on Colavita and on Californian olive oil. Also, my wife’saunt has an olive grove in California, and it’s excellent, but we only get a few small bottles a year unfortunately.
So, I recently read on The Root this “white people don’t season” in some list. Was amused.
What exactly do they mean by that? I guess I could see it with my non-foodie friends. They just toss meat on a grill and put sauce on later. I can only presume that is what is meant? Since the article I was reading on The Root was about black BBQ’s.
A lot of white friends i’ve had over the years all seasoned their foods. I have had friends that were not great at cooking but that seems to be more of a lack of knowledge than a upbringing/culture thing. So i’m not sure what to think of someone joking or seriously throwing out the idea that white people don’t season.
My sister is the poster child for this. She does thanksgiving every year. her turkey SUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKSSSSSSS.
It used to be flavorless and dried out. Then about 5 years ago she magically discovered brining, ok, that made it a little more flavorful, still always dry as a dessert. Then she discovered spice rubbing the skin…again, more flavor, but still dry as a damn fossil.
What I realized is people like her only know anything based on things like Good Eats on the Cooking Channel/Food Network.
Now my spouse…OMG…amazing turkey. She brines it over night with tons of herbs and citrus and then puts a compound butter under the skin and a spice seasoning on the outside. Then stuffs it with herbs and fruit and citrus and flash roasts it and then slow roasts it. Its so amazingly flavorful and ■■■■■. edit: so m-o-i-s-t is blocked? dafuq?!
Do the idiosyncracies of different groups of people really matter, and does it help us to always be pointing them out? If your grandparents grew up poor in some part of northern or eastern Europe where there wasn’t a long tradition of using strong spices (simply from history, and geography), should they be ashamed of that? Couldn’t you also say “spices hide the real flavor of the food”?
I use the oven bags. Lube that turkey up with olive oil and whatever herbs I have (no one likes sage as much as I do, alas). The bag keeps it from drying out. Never do it with a Butterball turkey though. Ugh.
Edit: I have a birthday cake! Happy boingiversary to me!
